Pirate Bay Co-Founder Denied NES in Prison

Following his arrest last year, Pirate Bay co-founder Fredrik Neij is now serving time in a Swedish prison for his involvement with the controversial file-sharing site. Now, it's come to light that Neij's request for a Nintendo Entertainment System to play as he serves out his year-long sentence has been denied.

Neij

Swedish news publication expressen.se reports that Neij's request for the 8-bit console was shut down, but not because gaming is prohibited at the prison. Rather, those in charge of the prison said they were not able to open the NES (without breaking it) to determine if there was any contraband inside.

“The console is sealed in such a way that it can not be opened without the machine being destroyed," the prison explained, as translated by TorrenFreak. "In light of this, the institution can't implement the necessary control of the game console and it is therefore impossible to ensure that it does not contain prohibited items."

Neij said he doesn't agree with the prison's decision to deny him the console and plans to appeal. He says the console, which was released in the 1980s and has no online functionality, shouldn't be seen as a threat to prison security. He adds that the prison need only purchase a screwdriver to open the NES.

Pirate Bay co-founders Neij, as well as Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and Peter Sunde, were found guilty in 2009 of establishing the internationally popular file-sharing site. Each received one-year prison sentences and were ordered to collectively play 30 million Swedish kronor (about $3.6 million at the time) in damages to copyright holders, according to GameSpot sister site CNET.

After their conviction, and subsequent appeals, Neij and the other Pirate Bay co-founders went on the run. Warg was arrested in Cambodia in 2012, while Sunde was nabbed in Sweden. Neij was the last of the Pirate Bay founders to evade capture before he was eventually picked up in Thailand in November 2014.